Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in a young child

Fred Chuang; Matthew Corbitt; Richard Tjahjono; Bernard Whitfield

doi:10.1136/bcr-2022-254098

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in a young child

BMJ Case Rep. 2023 Oct 3;16(10):e254098. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2022-254098.

Authors

Fred Chuang¹, Matthew Corbitt², Richard Tjahjono², Bernard Whitfield^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Otorhinolaryngology, Cairns Base Hospital, Cairns, Queensland, Australia fred_ch@live.com.
² Otorhinolaryngology, Cairns Base Hospital, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
³ Otorhinolaryngology, Logan Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 37788917
PMCID: PMC10551929 (available on 2025-10-03)
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2022-254098

Abstract

A girl in her early childhood presented to a regional otolaryngology outpatient clinic with classic signs of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). She reported episodic dizziness when rolling in a supine position. She did not convey any other associated audiovestibular symptoms. A bedside Dix-Hallpike test confirmed geotropic rotational nystagmus indicative of lateral canal BPPV. Due to her young age, limited communicative abilities and concerns for more sinister underlying pathology, a complete neurological examination, MRI and pure tone audiometry were performed. After two sessions of Epley's manoeuvre, she was symptom-free. At her 3-month follow-up, the patient denied any recurrent episodes of vertigo.

Keywords: Ear, nose and throat; Emergency medicine; Neurology (drugs and medicines); Paediatrics (drugs and medicines).

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Audiometry, Pure-Tone
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo* / diagnosis
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Nystagmus, Pathologic* / diagnosis
Nystagmus, Pathologic* / etiology